Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution soon after tools paid for with resources with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison expenses could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized costs and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises were a hat producing corporation and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nevertheless to be presented by using a cost sheet, doable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City electricity meter, Based on an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - around R54.3-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ย้อน หลัง as two of many directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual stories.
A brand new entity Together with the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, Based on CIPC records. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared plus the machinery was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial spot, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, such as aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers couldn't obtain it. There was no signage over the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about superb studies associated with before funding obtained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s business.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.